FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—The New England Patriots signed tight end Kellen Winslow this week with the hope that he will help replace the production they will lose with Aaron Hernandez (ankle) on the shelf for a few weeks.

Winslow said Thursday he has been in the playbook non-stop trying to grasp the offense. He said he sees similarities between himself and Hernandez, though he called Hernandez potentially the most versatile tight end in the game right now.

Winslow has no background with the Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels or coach Bill Belichick, so he knows he has a lot of work to do.

“At the end of the day, football is football,” Winslow said. “What they’re doing here, the volume of the playbook is a lot. It’s going to take some time to get used to. It’s verbiage and getting used to the calls and getting used to Tom’s cadence, and knowing not just what I have, but what everybody has, because people switch positions here.”

It is a tossup at this point as to whether Winslow will be active Sunday night against the Ravens. The Patriots also have Daniel Fells, who seems to be easing back into things after a calf injury and has a better grasp of the playbook at this point. If Winslow plays, it will likely be in specific packages and plays.

As for his troublesome right knee, Winslow said he plays in a lot of pain but always makes it onto the field on game days so it can't be held against him.